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                                       Book Smart

                                       is not the


                                       (Only) Goal




                                                           By Rifka Schonfeld, Director of S.O.S.
                                                               (Strategies For Optimum Success)


             “The only source of knowledge is experi-  Adolescents, Peg Dawson and Richard
             ence.” – Albert Einstein               Guare explain:

             It’s no surprise that Albert Einstein was    džĞĐƵƟǀĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĂůůŽǁ ƵƐ ƚŽ ŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĞ ŽƵƌ
             not a huge fan of school. Though he later   ďĞŚĂǀŝŽƌ ŽǀĞƌ ƟŵĞ ĂŶĚ ŽǀĞƌƌŝĚĞ ŝŵŵĞ-
             ůĞĐƚƵƌĞĚ Ăƚ ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƟĞƐ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ   diate demands in favor of longer-term
             and changed the way we think about sci-  goals. Through the use of these skills we
             ence, he struggled as a student in school.   ĐĂŶ ƉůĂŶ ĂŶĚ ŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĞ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ͕ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶ
             As Einstein points out in the quote    ĂƩĞŶƟŽŶ͕ ĂŶĚ ƉĞƌƐŝƐƚ ƚŽ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ Ă ƚĂƐŬ͘
             above, school is extremely important,    džĞĐƵƟǀĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĞŶĂďůĞ ƵƐ ƚŽ ŵĂŶĂŐĞ ŽƵƌ
             but so is the learning children do outside   ĞŵŽƟŽŶƐ  ĂŶĚ  ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌ  ŽƵƌ  ƚŚŽƵŐŚƚƐ  ŝŶ
             of school. In her book, Mind in the Mak-  ŽƌĚĞƌ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ŵŽƌĞ ĞĸĐŝĞŶƚůLJ ĂŶĚ ĞīĞĐ-
             ŝŶŐ͗ dŚĞ ^ĞǀĞŶ  ƐƐĞŶƟĂů >ŝĨĞ ^ŬŝůůƐ  ǀĞƌLJ   ƟǀĞůLJ͘ ^ŝŵƉůLJ ƐƚĂƚĞĚ͕ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ ŚĞůƉ ƵƐ
             Child Needs , Ellen Galinksy writes, “It is   to regulate our behavior.
             ĐůĞĂƌ  ƚŚĂƚ  ƚŚĞƌĞ  ŝƐ  ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ  ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ
             ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ůĞĂƌŶ ʹ ĨĂĐƚƐ͕ ĮŐƵƌĞƐ͕ ĐŽŶĐĞƉƚƐ͕   Among the individual skills that allow
             insights, and understandings. But we   people to self-regulate are:
             have neglected something that is equally
             ĞƐƐĞŶƟĂů ʹ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ ŶĞĞĚ ůŝĨĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ͘͟  o     Planning: the ability to create a
                                                    roadmap to reach a goal. This also in-
             What are these life skills? Why does your   cludes the ability to focus only on what
             child need these life skills? How can you   is important.
             ƚŚĞLJ ŐĂŝŶ ĂŶĚ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ ƚŚĞƐĞ ůŝĨĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ͍   Ž   KƌŐĂŶŝnjĂƟŽŶ͗ ƚŚĞ ĂďŝůŝƚLJ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ
                                                    ƚƌĂĐŬ ŽĨ ŵƵůƟƉůĞ ƐĞƚƐ ŽĨ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ
             /͛ǀĞ  ǁƌŝƩĞŶ  ĂďŽƵƚ   džĞĐƵƟǀĞ  &ƵŶĐƟŽŶ   materials.
              ŝƐŽƌĚĞƌ ; & Ϳ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƐƚ͕ ĂŶĚ 'ĂůŝŶƐŬLJ   o   Time management: the ability to
             actually pinpoints these life skills within   ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ ŵƵĐŚ ƟŵĞ ŽŶĞ ŚĂƐ͕ ĂŶĚ
             ƚŚĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ĞdžĞĐƵƟǀĞ ĨƵŶĐƟŽŶƐ͘ tŚĂƚ   ƚŽ ĮŐƵƌĞ ŽƵƚ ŚŽǁ ƚŽ ĚŝǀŝĚĞ ŝƚ ŝŶ ŽƌĚĞƌ ƚŽ
             ĚŽ / ŵĞĂŶ ďLJ ĞdžĞĐƵƟǀĞ ĨƵŶĐƟŽŶ͍ /Ŷ ƚŚĞŝƌ   meet a goal.
             Ŭ͕   džĞĐƵƟǀĞ  ^ŬŝůůƐ  ŝŶ   ŚŝůĚƌĞŶ  ĂŶĚ   o   Working memory: the ability to









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